August 9, 2013 Coats Museum NewsIn March of 1942, it was announced that fifty thousand rationing books were on their way to Harnett County-one for every man, woman, and child allotting the sale of ¾ lbs. of sugar per week per person (Harnett County News March 12, 1942). The Dorsey Daniel family has a jar of preserves made with rationed sugar on display in our vintage kitchen at the museum. It was made by the late Clara Denning Dupree. How old is that jar of preserves?Ernest Lee Ferguson of Angier, Route 2 had the draft serial # 441 which was the 3rd number drawn in the national draft lottery in Washington. He was the first number drawn in Harnett County (Harnett County News March 19, 1942). Did he serve?I do know the Coats Senior Class presented the comedy “Jimmy Be Careful”. The players were Grace Stewart, Stacy Williams, Frances Kelly, D.M Raynor, Opal Satterfield, Berlene Langdon, Vivian Denning, Levin Beasley, Tony Stewart, and Daywood Langdon. Mrs. Miriam Baggett Rigby, formerly of Lillington, took over some of the classes of Principal J.T. Jerome and Professor Richards took over the agriculture classes of M.O. Phillips who had left for the army. Miss Ruby Mae Turlington had recovered from her car accident and was headed down the aisle with her dad, L.A. Turlington, on her arm to marry Clinton Currin of Angier (Harnett CountyNews April 2, 1942).Many knew that it would be a matter of time before many young men in Grove Township would head to the battlefields. Those who left on April 2, 1942 for the armed forces were Drexel Langdon, Wade Gilbert, Garland Lee Adams, B. John Mitchell, Carter Thomas Phillips, and Clarence Edward Fish (Harnett County News April 2, 1942).Mrs. G. C. Langdon was honored by her children on her 58th birthday. Coats Community Home Demonstration Club met at the home of Mrs. T.J. Barnes. The program was presented by Mrs. W.E. Denning who talked about “Made-Over-Clothing”; “How to Use More Cotton” by Mrs. J.C. Langdon; “Taking Advantage of Careful Buying” by Mrs. J. C. McLamb; “Making The Most Of What You Have” by Mrs. J. C. Bailey and “The Year Round Wardrobe” by Mrs. E.H. Lasater (Harnett County News April 9, 1942).Many of our Coats residents have memories of the war era. Grace Stewart Penny shared that she was asked to help collect money for the Red Cross and that she recalled John G. McLamb giving fifty dollars to her. Wow-that was big money then. Kenneth Keene shared that his dad, Mr. O.K. Keene, could not get merchandise to sell at his store on Main Street so he went down east and helped tailor military uniforms while Mrs. Billie Keene worked as the Coats train depot agent.Maybe not as usual, but Coats School went on and they had an open house and had entertainment by the toy orchestra, the high school Glee Club, and the grammar grade orchestra. W.B. O’Neal, student council president, gave a summary of the defense work done by the school. The need for jurors also continued to be addressed as Richard Hayes, O.G. Lamb, and Samuel Pope were Coats men who served on May jury duty. Other men who took on community responsibilities were those who served on the county agriculture committee. They were E.L. Parrish, Carson Gregory, W.A. Cobb, T.J. Barnes, J.C. Bailey and J.A. Stephenson (Harnett County News April 16, 1942).Coats Principal J.T. Jerome resigned from Coats Union School. Mr. J.R. McDaniel, principal of Oakdale, replaced Jerome who had been at Coats since 1935 (Harnett County News April 30, 1942). Wonder why Mr. Jerome resigned with the school term so close to completion. Was there more to the story?I do know that many of the outstanding school leaders were leaving. Professor Owen Odum, a former Coats principal, left his position at Boone Trail. Odum was the second Harnett educator to retire under the newly adopted retirement system. He was quoted as saying, “I have plans to run my farm, live by the side of the road, and be a friend to man.” Mr. Owen began teaching in 1900. He was one of 10 children born in a log cabin in Robeson County. He attended a one-teacher school and did his homework by the fireplace after doing his farm chores. He attended Buies Creek Academy. His father was a Civil War veteran who served five years.His mother could not read or write. Odum’s first job as a teacher in Robeson County paid a salary of $15.00 a month. From there he went to Wake Forest in 1906. He returned home a couple of years but later graduated in 1912 from Wake Forest. He then became principal of Coats until 1918. He served as a farm agent in Harnett County in 1918 and taught at Buies Creek Academy in 1919-1920. He then went to Zebulon in Wake County. In 1928, he returned to Coats and served until 1935. From there Odum went to Boone Trail where he retired (Harnett County News May 7, 1942).Dr. Fred Fleming of the Coats School Board announced that A.J. Dickson of Duplin County would replace J.T. Jerome as principal of the school (Harnett County News May 5, 1942).The 1942 seniors who would leave with Mr. Jerome were Eva Wright, Audrey Parrish, W.B. O’Neal, Azeleen McLamb, Berlene Langdon, Tony Stewart, Stacy L. Williams, Doris Johnson, D.M. Raynor, Jr., Vivian Denning, Doris Faye Raynor, Levin Beasley, Lamas Denning, Frances Kelly, Daywood Langdon, Verle Pollard, Effie Gunter, Edward Pope, Ruby Turner, Margaret Miller, Verl Sawyer, Velma Sorrell, Naomi Ivey, Gerald Langdon, Agnes Denning, Grace Sawyer, James Hodges, Willard Messer, Rachel Tripp, Thurlene Pollard, Josephine Langdon, P.C. Britt, and Eula Mae Royals.Wonder if the students signed classmates’ yearbooks in 1942. I do know that Berlene Langdon was the editor of the Black and Gold. Mava Lee Parrish, Stacy Williams, Doris Johnson, Clydia Strickland, D.M. Raynor and Vivian Denning served on the editorial staff for the school’s second yearbook (Black and Gold Yearbook 1942).Volunteering at the Coats Museum is never dull because of the variety of visitors who come through the doors. Recently touring the museum were Salemburg Mayor Johnny and Pauline Strickland and Town Commissioner Johnny and Carol yn Tew. Mr. Strickland has been mayor of the town for 31 years and Mr. Tew is a former principal of Midway High School. The couples visited the museum to ask questions on how we operate the museum for they are working to establish a museum in Salemburg. Traveling all the way from British Columbia, Canada was the Acheson family who came seeking information on the “James Alexander Coates- Coats” family who left Johnston County in the 1790’s to go to Centerville, Tennessee. How small is the world? My sister Sue Johnson Richey’s family left McLean, Virginia a few years ago to live in Centerville, TN area and my nieces went to school with Lynn Ackeson. What are the chances of that happening again? Lynda Butler enjoyed giving a tour to the Hood Memorial Prayer group from Dunn.A special thank you to those who have given donations to honor deceased loved ones. Bruce Williams, Frances Whittington Cade, Elease Williams Bowling, and Brenda Sorrell Jones have been remembered. The donors for them were Pat and Stacy Avery, Lynda and Robie Butler, Gayle and H.L. Sorrell, and the Kiwanis Spiritual Aims Committee. JoAnne Hairr was honored on her birthday for all she does to help the museum. Thank you Sandra Kay Howard, principal at Coats Elementary School, for becoming an “Impact Sponsor” of the Coats Museum.PLEASE BE MINDFUL THAT THIS COATS MUSEUM NEWS APPEARED ON AUGUST 9, 2013 DAILY RECORD.